John Steenhusien has confirmed that his party; Democratic Alliance (DA) will back Cyril Ramaphosa to become the next president of South Africa in a nationwide address on the outcome of post-elections negotiations ahead of the first siting of parliament.
This is despite the ideological differences between the two parties. The two parties have been in opposition for years, with the ANC as the ruling party and the DA as the main opposition. Additionally, the DA’s leadership being predominantly white in a country where over 80% of the population is black had fueled skepticism about a potential deal between them and the ANC.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) lost its 30-year parliamentary majority in the May 29 general election, claiming only a 40% share of the votes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa needs a simple majority of votes in parliament to secure another five-year term at the helm of South Africa’s affairs.
Lawmakers are due to elect a president later today and the ANC and DA together have a majority of lawmakers that would see Ramaphosa return for a second term. If Ramaphosa is the only candidate nominated, he would be elected automatically without the need for a vote.
No one else has so far been put forward, though lawmakers can nominate a candidate during Friday’s Parliament session, the first since the landmark May 29 national election.
According to Sam Mkokeli on semafor.com “Despite looking on course to build a coalition, the ANC can’t afford to take things for granted because it has a sworn enemy in the MK party, led by former president Jacob Zuma. He is simply one of the most cunning politicians in the world. And his influence on South African politics is beyond doubt. Just look at the way in which his party won just under 15% of the vote having only been set up in December. There’s no doubt in my mind that Zuma will try to divide the ANC from the outside. Senior political sources told me there’s a strong suspicion that some ANC legislators are secret Zuma sympathizers who could turn against Ramaphosa in a secret vote”.
The election of the Speaker of the National Assembly is ongoing at the first sitting of the National Assembly. The MPs are expected to elect the president after the election of the speaker and deputy speaker of parliament.
